Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the only potential 2012 candidate who would be legal to perform same-sex marriages under the New York law that passed last week, walked a delicate line today in his first public comments on the topic, per the Daily News politics blog:

"My thoughts are that I'm glad that people who felt discriminated against have sort of had that burden of discrimination lifted. I signed the first civil-union, domestic partnership bill I think in the country. Maybe it was the second. And I still take a lot of criticism for that," said 2008 GOP presidential hopeful Giuliani at Joe Torre's Safe at Home Foundation golf outing at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor.

"I still state that marriage is being defined between a man and a woman, but I can truly understand what people are striving for. And as someone who signed civil unions and domestic partnerships, that's probably my preference," Giuliani said, according to our Peter Botte.

"But I was very glad to see people relieved of this burden of discrimination, which is a terrible thing to feel...

"And I think Gov. Cuomo deserves a lot of credit. Even if you don't agree with the result, it showed a lot of leadership to execute the result. For the first time in a long time, we're seeing leadership at the gubernatorial level in New York, including expenses and a lot of systematic control of government and I think that's a good sign for a lot of other things the governor can do."

Giuliani explicitly voiced his feelings about marriage as "between a man and a woman" in his 2008 presidential run, when he was courting conservative activists.

Real leadership would be to do the right thing, and not cave to whatever the latest craze is. With today’s instant online communications, politicians too quickly jump to whatever direction the wind seems to be blowing without thinking things through. Teaching children homosexual perversion is a viable lifestyle is nothing short of child abuse.

Burn in hell, Rudy, and take NYC with you. If another 9/11 hits, you pervs can have it all to yourselves. I’m never again wasting time and energy raising money for such a degenerate cesspool. Cuomo, Rudy... you’re filth!

The NY Times has a long feature on the relationship between former NY governor Mario Cuomo and presumptive 2010 gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo that includes quotes like "Hes thick skulled; he wont listen to me. Tell him what to do" (supposedly what Mario told a consultant about Andrew) and "There was this sense of rivalry  Andrew seemed to feel that his dad talked a good game but that he, Andrew, got things done" (someone who worked under Andrew Cuomo at HUD). But what's interesting is how the 1977 mayoral campaign comes into play.

Back in 1977, Mario Cuomo was battling Ed Koch for the NYC mayorship, and there were nasty campaign posters saying "Vote For Cuomo, Not The Homo." When Andrew Cuomo was running for attorney general in 2006 (after his failed 2002 gubernatorial run and divorce from Kerry Kennedy), the NY Times reports, "Mario approached George Arzt, a former press secretary to Mr. Koch, at the Regency Hotel in New York and told him, Id like to patch things up with Ed,  Mr. Arzt recalled. I asked him what he had in mind. And he said, Could Ed endorse Andrew?" Which Koch did do.

Koch, for his part, told Esquire, "The signs said, VOTE FOR CUOMO, NOT THE HOMO. Andrew says he didn't do it, and I believe him. Mario says he thinks he now knows who did it. I was very angry at the time. Primary races always end in anger. They're different than the general election: They're like a civil war  it's brother against brother. But I've forgiven them. I'm eighty-five now, and grudges take your energy away. I've forgiven them all."

The already circus-like race for New York governor just went from one ring to three.

Independent Kristin Davis, the former New York madam, is now calling out Democrat Andrew Cuomo for not taking a stronger stance for gay rights.

Its outrageous that New York has not legalized same-sex marriage, Davis says in a new ad. Andrew Cuomo says he supports it, but when the marriage equality bill was before the Senate, he was asked to call three undecided Democratic senators and declined. A vote for me sends a strong message to Cuomo: we demand gay marriage now.

She ends the ad with a catchy phrase: Vote homo, not Cuomo:

According to CBS News, the line is a play off a campaign slogan used by some supporters of Andrews father Mario in the 1977 New York mayoral election against Ed Koch: Vote for Cuomo, not the homo. The reference was meant to advance rumors about Kochs sexuality.

With his successful push to pass a gay marriage law, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo overnight became a national contender, putting down a major marker among the liberal party base that dominates the primaries.

Most politicians, including most Democrats, have been afraid of this issue. Andrew is the first national figure ever to embrace it so enthusiastically, said Richard Socarides, the president of Equality Matters and a former Clinton White House adviser. Clearly, this establishes him as the most important progressive leader of our party, setting him up very well for 2016.

Come 2016, Cuomo is the only one who will be able to say I delivered for you before everyone else realized it was politically popular, and that will be an invaluable asset, Socarides said, adding, it also has the benefit of being true.

Cuomo supporters already have fanned the flames privately of his prospects on the national stage: Rumors of his White House ambitions started circulating in New York even before he was elected last year by one of the largest margins in state history  some of them date to the days when he was managing his fathers own multiple flirtations with a national run. ..........

Of the early potential Democratic contenders, Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley says he supports gay marriage but stopped short of making a major push for the legislation earlier in the year, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is opposed. Hillary Clinton, if she runs, would still have her commitment to civil unions but not gay marriage from the 2008 race hanging over her  and at least until the end of next year, when shes said shell be done at the State Department, she wont be able to make any new comments on the issue.

It gives him an authenticity and a strength with progressives that will provide a real base  not just gays, but progressives in general. Other people can say theyre for same sex marriage, he got it done, said Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum. I think it will always now be a hallmark of his political persona.

Cuomos push on gay marriage wasnt in a vacuum  it came at the end of a tough legislative session when New York progressives were forced to swallow major budget cuts, tough on unions rhetoric and a refusal to even consider renewing the states expired millionaires tax.

Thats part of the persona hes crafting too, as Cuomo sets himself up as a governor whos pushed the party to the left on social issues and toward the center-right on economic issues. Its a message with both primary and general election appeal, though being so far out-front on gay marriage could be a problem in a November national election.

Hes created a profile that I think would make him a very effective candidate, Shrum said. Hes right on the social issues, and he will be even more right by 2016 than he is now in terms of Democratic primary voters, and in terms of the country, frankly. Hes created a profile of economic stewardship in a very difficult period that is very strong, hes managed to deal with unions without getting into the kind of destructive confrontations that people like Scott Walker have.

.......

Joe Trippi, the former Howard Dean and John Edwards adviser, said its not too early to start the 2016 clock  and, pointing to Michael Dukakis in 1988, noted theres a precedent for an ethnic Northeast governor appealing to Democrats far away from home.

I understand 2016s a long way off, and who knows where things will be then, but certainly, he has to be somebody that the party looks to for leadership once you get past Obamas reelection, Trippi said. Hes putting his stamp on what kind of party he thinks the Democrats should be.

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